Ecommerce drives Royal Mail deliveries to the US

More business parcels were sent to the US from the UK than any other country in the past year, new figures show.

According to the Royal Mail, France and Germany were second and third while most business letters were sent to Germany, Ireland and France.

Meanwhile, the highest number of business parcels imported into the UK came from China.

A spokesman for Royal Mail Parcels said: “Ecommerce is becoming increasingly globalised in today’s market.”

Online sales are also driving delivery volumes within the UK.

Royal Mail saw a five per cent growth in its UKPIL parcel volumes in the 2017/18 financial year.

The news comes after the Royal Mail introduced key enhancements to its tracked services used by leading UK retailers to deliver items online shoppers have ordered.

The enhancements include email and SMS notifications that specify the address of the neighbour where items have been left when customers are not at home, to make it easier for online shoppers to know where their deliveries have been left.

Other changes will include an electronic version of the “something for you” card, which will provide online shoppers with email and SMS notifications about their items if they are not at home when the item is delivered.

Customers will also be allowed to collect items from customer service points using their mobile devices or rearrange delivery without needing the physical card that will still be posted through the door.